Norway: More information about the terror suspects
Norwegian papers continue to publish new information about the three terror suspects. Below is a summary of several articles.
At the same time, the PST is not officially saying anything about the investigation. The PST denies there was video surveillance of the suspect's apartments, or any apartment, as VG Nett claimed.
* BREAKING: Three arrested in Norway for terror plot
* Norway: Terrorist cell planned attacks in Norway
* Norway: Suspects bought bomb materialsThis article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com
The three suspects are: Shawan Sadek Saeed Bujak Bujak (37), an Iraqi Kurd who was arrested in Germany, David Jakobsen (31), an Uzbek, and Mikael Davud (39), a Norwegian citizen of Chinese-Uighur background. suspected of leading the cell.
Kurdish-Iraqi Shawan Sadek Saeed Bujak Bujak was extradited from Germany to Norway yesterday.
Dagbladet reports that the PST, the Norwegian Security Police, conducted secret raids in the suspect's home in Grefsen. The PST headquarters are located 500 meters away. In a shed the security service found a big bottle and two smaller bottles of high-concentration hydrogen peroxide, acetone, two liters of liquid and flour. These are the main ingredients for preparing the acetone-peroxide bomb, "Satan's mother".
The police also found protective eye-wear, masks and walkie-talkies, which they think shows the three were going to make a bomb.
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The Iraqi Kurd worked for bricklayer Odd Bjørvik in Førde from 2001 to 2004.
His former colleagues told Dagbladet that he was politically engaged and a religious man, who spoke well of al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden.
"When the Twin Towers in New York were attacked, he worked by me. Then he thought it was the Japanese who were behind it. But he didn't want to say so much on whether he was for or against it, we were all very upset at him."
"But half a year later he said that Bin Laden was a good man."
At one time the Iraqi tried to help an Iraqi women enter Norway illegally. "In 2003 he paid 70-80,000 kroner to obtain a false password for an Iraqi woman. She was stopped in Iran's capital, Tehran, on the way to Europe and Bujak lost all the money."
Bjørvik says that Bujak smuggled halal meat from Sweden. "He was very concerned about halal meat. My wife had a store and was to sell halal meat, but it wasn't good enough. After that he began to smuggle halal meat."
He says the Iraqi lived frugally and seldom went out. "He also had plans to build a Muslim cemetery and mosque in Førde."
Bujak told Bjørvik that he wasn't religious in Iraq and that he drank alcohol then. He become very religious when he was in an asylum center in Germany for 2-3 years.
Several of Bujak's former colleagues say that he stopped work several times a day to pray and that he took over their offices to do so. One colleague says that they discussed politics during lunch, and that the Iraqi had said he wanted to go to paradise where the virgins were waiting for him.
Bujak's lawyer says that it's not uncommon for foreigners to smuggle halal meat or falsify travel documents and that it's not connected to terrorism.
Meanwhile, Bujak's wife is afraid to return to Norway. She says they might become victims or racism and that somebody might attack them. She describes the family as moderate Muslims.
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The PST started following the suspects after getting reports from the British and American security services that they suspect Davud of having contacts with people linked to terrorism. The PST is thinks that the terrorist cell intended to attack Chinese interests in Norway.
The PST found passport photos of several men in Davud's home, one of which is a person identified as a member of al-Qaeda.
VG Nett and Dagbladet report that the PST and Jakobsen's lawyer confirm that Jakobsen was an informant for the PST since 2009. According to his lawyer, Jakobsen approached the PST after his friend, Davud, asked him to get a person into Norway illegally. Jakobsen says that at the time Davud showed him several passport photos, and the PST he now trying to link the request to the photos they've seized.
Jakobsen had two contact people with whom he met 3-4 times a month. He didn't report about the buying of the chemicals, which he now regrets.
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Davud met the Uzbek suspect in a mosque in Sarpsborg. According to imam Shaikhjami Abdulquddus the two regularly visited the Muslim Culture Center.
"Davud last visited three weeks ago. Both appeared to me as honest, kind people. Religious, but not fundamentalist. I've very shocked about the terrorism charges," the imam told Dagbladet.
For a while, all three suspects lived in the same area. In a surprise move, Davud moved to Sarpsborg in 2003. Jakobsen lived in the nearby city of Råde in 2004. The third suspect, Shawan Sadek Saaed Bujak Bujak (37) had an address in Sarpsborg during that time.
Aftenposten reports that the mosque's board consists mainly of Pakistanis, but it also attracts Muslims of other nationalities.
It's now described as a place for radical Muslims. Klassekampen reported in April 2009 that the mosque's imam previously defended the death sentence against Muslims who convert to Christianity. Previously he also claimed that "Islamic law is above Norwegian law".
Provorst Dag Mysen has been in regular contact with the imam and others from the mosque, and describes the imam as welcoming and pleasant, though firm in his attitudes.
"He insisted in talks with us priests on the death sentence for converting and that our culture is on a collision course with Islam."
Mysen stresses that there are many intelligent Muslims in this mosque who have other attitudes regarding the major social issues and that the imam's view is not representative of Muslims in Sarpsborg.
Aftenposten spoke with other Muslim communities in Østfold who disagree. In 2008 a group of Kurds formed their own community in Sarpsborg, following a conflict with other mosque members, also on the issue of supporting suicide bombers in Northern Iraq.
A former member of the mosque who wished to remain anonymous says that the authorities should have better control of then.
The Islamic Association in Fredrikstad also distances itself from the mosque in Sarpsborg.
"We are modern Muslims. We have nothing to do with them," says Haji Asif Husain.
When Aftenposten visited the mosque, the representatives of the mosque did not want to be photographed or to talk about their relationship with Davud. But they spoke out against terrorism and stressed that supporters of al-Qaeda were not welcome there. They also expressed surprised that the man they knew as 'Rashidin' is suspected of planning terrorist acts.
The mosque is not part of the Islamic Council of Norway, and in 2009 it's head Senaid Koblica told Klassekampen they were not optimistic about having better dialog with the community.
Davud previously lived in Bergen. Semet Abla, former leader of the Uighur committee: "He was very religious, and didn't want to have contact with the Uighur community in Bergen. He preferred being with the Somalis, Kurds, Arabs and Iraqis. They were people who were very religious. Most Uighurs are a little or moderately religious. It seemed as if he wasn't interested in having contact with such people."
Sources: Dagbladet 1, 2, 3, 4 VG, Aftenposten (Norwegian)
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